Ahead of Assembly Polls, TMC to Rejuvenate Social Media Team to Woo Voters, Check Fake News

Mamata has been keen on strengthening its IT wing, which is the most effective medium to reach the government’s work to the masses, and has time and again urged the youth to take on social media hate mongering.

File Photo of Mamata Banerjee addresses her supporters during a rally in Kolkata.

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Kolkata: In a bid to counter the BJP’s aggressive social media campaign, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is all set to strengthen its IT wing for mass outreach.

Through its rejuvenated social media team, the TMC also plans to check the spread of fake news in West Bengal ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 assembly polls.

As compared to other regional parties, the TMC is already more active on the social media and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is known to be prompt in slamming hate posts on Twitter.

The party will organise a ‘Digital Conclave’ on September 10 in Nazrul Mancha, where MP Abhishek Banerjee will address its IT cell members and youth workers.

This is the first time that the TMC is organising a large scale social media event in Kolkata.

The party’s IT/Social Media Cell is presently headed by Colonel Diptanshu Chaudhary (Retd) and Suparno Moitra. Chaudhary was with the BJP in 2016, but after a brief stint with the saffron brigade, he joined the Trinamool Congress.

Besides Chaudhary and Moitra, Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien will also focus on creating a stronger social media presence for the party.

Mamata has been keen on strengthening its IT wing, which is the most effective medium to reach the government’s work to the masses, and has time and again urged the youth to take on social media hate mongering.

While addressing the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad foundation day event, the West Bengal Chief Minister had asked students to beware of fake news being circulated on Facebook and Twitter.

The TMC is set to train nearly 30,000 youths to actively push the government’s achievements in all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies.

“There will be various WhatsApp groups meant for government officials and party workers. Training will be given to them on the effective use of microblogging sites and other social media platforms to demolish the BJP’s malicious attempt to launch cyber war against the TMC,” a senior TMC leader said.

“We are also planning to alert the masses whenever there is a deliberate attempt to divide the people based on religion by the Opposition parties,” he added.

In the new social media team, there will be different segments. One team will only push the government’s achievements, while the other will expose fake news and divisive politics. One will monitor posts related to the TMC and another will respond to them through facts and figures.

Apart from training the youth, the TMC will also train all its MLA, MPs, councilors and heads of all the cells to make them social media savvy. ​

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